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Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 30th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third in the Disney Renaissance period, it is based on the French fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, who was also credited in the English version as well as in the French version, and ideas from the 1946 French film. Beauty and the Beast focuses on the relationship between the Beast (Robby Benson), a prince who is magically transformed into a monster as punishment for his arrogance, and Belle (Paige O'Hara), a beautiful young woman whom he imprisons in his castle. To become a prince again, Beast must win her love in return otherwise he remains a monster forever. The film also features the voices of Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers and Angela Lansbury. Walt Disney first attempted unsuccessfully to adapt Beauty and the Beast into an animated feature film during the 1930s and 1950s. Following the success of The Little Mermaid (1989), Disney decided to adapt the fairy tale, which Richard Purdum originally conceived as a non-musical. Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg eventually discontinued the idea and ordered that the film be a musical similar to The Little Mermaid instead. Beauty and the Beast was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, with a screenplay by Linda Woolverton story first credited to Roger Allers. Lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken wrote the film's songs. Ashman, who additionally served as an executive producer on the film, died of AIDS-related complications eight months before the film's release, and the film was dedicated to his memory. Beauty and the Beast premiered as an unfinished film at the New York Film Festival on September 29, 1991, followed by its theatrical release as a completed film at the El Capitan Theatre on November 22. The film was a box office success, grossing 425 million dollars worldwide. Beauty and the Beast received wide critical acclaim; it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and became the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It won the Academy Award for its title song. In 2002, Beauty and the Beast was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, of aesthetically significant. In April 1994, Beauty and the Beast became Disney's first animated film to be adapted into a Broadway musical. The success of the film spawned two direct-to-video follow-ups: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) and Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World (1998). an IMAX version was released in 2002 that included Human Again, a new five-minute musical sequence. Plot An enchantress, disguised as an old beggar, offers a rose to a young prince, in exchange for shelter in his castle from the cold, but the prince refuses. For his arrogance, the enchantress transforms him into a beast and places a spell on the castle. She gives him a magic mirror that enables him to view faraway events, along with the enchanted rose that she had offered. To break the spell, the prince must learn to love another and earn her love in return before the rose's last petal falls on his 21st birthday. If he fails, he will remain a beast forever. Ten years later, a young bookworm girl named Belle is bored of her village life and seeks excitement. Because of her nonconformist ideals, she is ridiculed by everyone but her father Maurice, the town librarian and an arrogant, vain and muscular hunter named Gaston. Despite being popular with the townsfolk, Gaston is determined to marry Belle. She repeatedly rejects his advances. Maurice and his horse Phillipe get lost in the forest while traveling to a fair to present his wood-chopping machine. After being chased by a pack of wolves, he comes across the Beast's castle. Inside, he meets Lumiére the candlestick, Cogsworth the clock, Mrs. Potts the teapot and her son Chip the teacup. However, the Beast quickly discovers and detains Maurice. After Phillipe leads Belle to the Beast's castle, she offers to take her father's place. Over her father's objections, the Beast accepts Belle's offer. While Gaston sulks over Belle's rejection, Maurice return to town but is unable to convince the others to save Belle from the Beast. The Beast sulks in his room when Belle refuses to have dinner with him that night. Despite this, Lumiére offers her a meal. While he and Cogsworth also give her a tour of the castle, she wanders into the forbidden West Wing. When the Beast inadvertently chases her into the forest by frightening her in frustration, Belle encounters the pack of wolves. After the Beast is injured while fending them off, Belle thanks him for saving her life. He begins to develop feelings for her while she nurses his wounds and he delights her by showing his extensive library. While the two begin to bond, Gaston pays Monsieur D'argue to send Maurice to the town's insane asylum if Belle refuses Gaston's proposal again. While sharing a romantic evening together, Belle tells the Beast she misses her father. He lets her use his magic mirror to see him. She sees Maurice dying in the woods trying to rescue her. The Beast lets her go out to save him and he gives her the mirror to remember him by. She finds Maurice and brings him home. As Gaston is about to bring Maurice to the insane asylum, Belle proves Maurice's sanity by showing the Beast with the magic mirror. Realizing Belle loves the Beast, Gaston convinces the villagers that the Beast is a man-eating monster and leads them to the castle to kill him. Having stowed away into Belle's baggage, Chip helps Maurice and Belle escape into the castle. Gaston fights the Beast while the servants fend off the villagers. The Beast initially is too depressed to fight back, though perks up after seeing Belle return to the castle. He battles and defeats Gaston in the battle on the rooftops, though spares his life by ordering him to leave before he reunites with Belle. Despite mortally wounding the Beast, Gaston falls to his death after losing his footing. Belle professes her love for the Beast, who dies before the last rose petal falls. With the spell broken, the Beast is revived and transformed into his human form of a young prince, and each of his servants also resumes their human form with the castle restored to its former glory. Belle is last seen dancing with him in the ballroom as everyone else watches in delight. Cast * Paige O'Hara as Belle * Robby Benson as The Beast * Richard White as Gaston * Jerry Orbach as Lumiére * David Ogden Stiers as Cogsworth * Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts * Bradley Pierce as Chip * Rex Everhart as Maurice * Jesse Corti as LeFou * Hal Smith as Phillipe * Jo Anne Worley as the Wardrobe * Mary Kay Bergman and Kath Soucie as the Bimbettes * Brian Cummings as the Stove * Alvin Epstein as the Bookseller * Tony Jay as Monsieur D'Arque * Alec Murphy as the Baker * Kimmy Robertson as the Featherduster * Frank Welker as the Footstool * Additional voices: Jack Angel - Tom, Bruce Adler, Scott Barnes - Chrous, Vanna Bonta, Maureen Brennan, Liz Callaway - Dancing Napkin Ring, Philip L. Clarke - Male Villager, Margery Daley, Jennifer Darling - French Woman #2, Albert de Ruiter, George Dvorsky, Bill Farmer - Stanley, Bruce Fifer, Johnson Flucker, Larry Hansen, Randy Hansen, Mary Ann Hart, Alix Korey, Phyllis Kubey, Hearndon Lackey, Sherry Lynn - French Woman #1, Mickie McGowan - French Peasant Woman, Larry Moss, Panchali Null, Wilbur Pauley, Jennifer Perito, Caroline Peyton, Patrick Pinney - Walter, Cynthia Richards-Hewes, Phil Proctor - Dick, Susan Napoli, Gordon Stanley - Chorus & Stephen Sturk Songs * Belle (performed by Paige O'Hara, Richard White, Alec Murphy, Mary Kay Bergman, Kath Soucie and Chorus) * Belle Reprise (performed by Paige O'Hara) * Gaston (performed by Richard White, Jesse Corti and Chorus) * Gaston Reprise (performed by Richard White, Jesse Corti and Chorus) * Be Out Guest (performed by Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury and Chorus) * Something There (performed by Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiers) * Beauty and the Beast (performed by Angela Lansbury) * The Mob Song (performed by Richard White and Chorus) * Beauty and the Beast (End Title Duet) (performed by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson) * Human Again (performed by Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Jo Anne Worley and Chorus) International premieres * United States: September 29, 1991 * Canada: November 22, 1991 * Colombia: November 25, 1991 * Brazil: December 13, 1991 * Philippines: December 20, 1991 * France: May 13, 1992 * Australia: June 11, 1992 * Uruguay: June 26, 1992 * South Korea: July 4, 1992 * Argentina: July 9, 1992 * Peru: July 9, 1992 * Hong Kong: August 20, 1992 * Japan: September 23, 1992 * United Kingdom: October 9, 1992 * Ireland: October 16, 1992 * Iceland: November 14, 1992 * Denmark: November 20, 1992 * Sweden: November 20, 1992 * Germany: November 26, 1992 * Netherlands: November 26, 1992 * Spain: November 27, 1992 * Norway: December 3, 1992 * Hungary: December 4, 1992 * Italy: December 4, 1992 * Portugal: December 11, 1992 * Finland: December 18, 1992 * Turkey: January 22, 1993 * Poland: September 26, 1993 * Czech Republic: March 17, 1994 * Georgia: October 20, 1994 * Russia: ? International titles * Albania: E Bukura dhe Bisha * Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Spain & Uruguay: La bella y la bestia * Brazil: A Bela e a Fera * Bulgaria: Красавицата и Звярът * Canada & France: La belle et la bête * Croatia: Ljepotica i zvijer * Czechoslovakia: Kráska a zvíre * Denmark: Skønheden og udyret * Egypt: Aljamila va alvahsh * Finland: Kaunotar ja hirviö * Germany: Die Schöne und das Biest * Greece: Η πεντάμορφη και το τέρας (I pentamorfi kai to teras) * Hungary: A szépség és a szörnyeteg * Iran: Div va Delbar * Italy: La bella e la bestia * Japan: 美女と野獣 (Bijo to yajuu) * Lithuania: Grazuole ir pabaisa * Netherlands: Belle en het Beest * Norway: Skjønnheten og udyret * Poland: Piękna i bestia * Portugal: A Bela e o Monstro * Romania: Frumoasa si bestia * Russia: Красавица и чудовище * Serbia & Slovenia: Lepotica in zver * Sweden: Skönheten och odjuret * Turkey: Güzel ve Çirkin * Ukraine: Красуня і чудовисько Differences between the fairy tale and the film * In the fairy tale, the main female character only goes under the name Beauty when in the film she was called Belle (French for beauty). In the fairy tale, she has two sisters and three brothers while it is not mentioned that she has any siblings in the film. In contrast to his counterpart in the story, where he is a merchant, Belle's father is an inventor in the film. * In the film, it is not only the Beast that is monstrous, but also his entire castle. All his castle staff are also transformed into living furniture and tools. However, in the fairy tale, the castle is still beautiful after the enchantment, and is also provided with a summery rosewood garden. * In the fairy tale, the Beast is initially hospitable to Beauty's father by (anonymously) bidding him on food and letting him stay overnight, However, the Beast is upset when his guest takes one of his roses in the garden the following day to give to Beauty. However, in the film, the Beast sees him as an intruder as soon as he finds out that he has entered the castle. * In the film, Belle goes to the beast's castle to save his father, who is kept prisoner in the prison cave, after which she offers to take his place and the Beast accepts her offer against her father's will. However, in the corresponding event in the story, the Beast says that the merchant has to pay for his life for picking up the rose in the garden, but offers to let him go if one of his daughters comes to the castle instead. The merchant reluctantly agrees with this, and Beauty goes voluntarily to the castle after hearing about the agreement from her father. * Both in the fairy tale and the film, the Beast allows Beauty of visiting her family after she has been his prisoner for a while. In the fairy tale, however, he only allows her to do it for a week while in the film he plans to release her permanently. * In the fairy tale, the Beast is dying because of loneliness, when Beauty stays with her family one day longer than he gave her permission, while in the film he dies after being crushed by Gaston (a character that was set for the film). * In the film, the beast receives an enchanted rose from the woman who put the curse upon him. If all the petals fall from this before he is loved by someone he will remain a beast forever. In the fairy tale, however, nothing is mentioned that this must happen within a certain amount of time for the enchantment to break. International releases For information about international dubs and releases, Beauty and the Beast/International. Category:1991 films Category:1990s American animated films Category:American musical films Category:Films produced by Don Hahn Category:Films directed by Gary Trousdale Category:Films directed by Kirk Wise Category:Film scores by Alan Menken Category:Disney Princess Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios films Category:Walt Disney Pictures Category:Walt Disney Feature Animation